<machs of Carleton students have recently inspired a blossoming of student run businesses on campus, including the new Late Night Cookies and Chipotle burrito delivery service.
Late Night Cookies offers freshly baked chocolate chip cookies on Thursday and Sunday evenings from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.. Cookies are available by email order ([email protected]), with half a dozen cookies priced at three dollars and a dozen at five dollars. For those looking for a more substantial alternative to the dining hall, Chipotle burritos are available for delivery Wednesday evenings around 6 p.m. and there is no limit on the amount or type of fillings. Chipotle burrito orders are also placed via email ([email protected] or [email protected]). Neither of these student businesses accept schillers.
The creators of Late Night Cookie, Gwendolyn Neumeister ’12 and Kenzie Zimmer ’12, revealed that despite the added incentive of earning some extra money, they originally conceived of the idea as an outlet for their shared passion for baking.
“Last year cooking was a fun way to bond with our floor communities,” Neumeister said. Now, with both living in Evans, a dorm far less conducive to floor life, Neumeister and Zimmer have found a new opportunity to share their hobby.
“Originally we thought the cookies would simply be a profitable way to keep baking but now we are starting to see the project’s greater effect of bringing the Carleton community closer,” Zimmer explained. In fact, both Zimmer and Neumeister have found delivering the cookies to be their favorite aspect of running the business. “It’s so great to see the way groups come together to share a big order and take a study break,” Zimmer said.
Jeremy Sutherland ’11 and Kellan McLemore ’12, the masterminds behind the Chipotle delivery service, explained that they too have been surprised by the way the business has provided them with a new connection to the Carleton community. “I’ve met so many new people I never would have otherwise, just by dropping off a burrito,” McLemore said.
Beyond the social benefits, both businesses claimed significant profits in just the first few weeks of operration. In their opening night of deliveries, Sutherland and McLemore received 14 burrito orders while Zimmer and Neumeister manage about 20 orders per evening of baking. “We only expect business to get better because at first we had a lot of confusion over whether our business was a joke,” Sutherland said.
Both groups also look forward to potential expansion as the word spreads. “We’ve had lots of requests for different kinds of cookies and are currently thinking about peanut butter and snicker-doodle,” Zimmer said.